The Posh Club
‘It’s like a nightclub in the daytime!’ Meet The Posh Club: the over-60s monthly soiree
Volunteer Megan stands in front of The Posh Club sign
A drag queen, a Japanese folk band and more than 100 people aged 60 and over, dressed in their finest, dance under a glittering disco ball in a church hall in Hackney.
Waiters, wearing dickie bows, braces and fishnet tights, carry mini cakes on tiered stands and platters of sandwiches to the packed tables. Tea, prosecco and rum are flowing from the vintage China cups, as old and new friends catch up.
This is The Posh Club: a social club for the over 60s, which takes place every month at St Paul’s West Hackney.
Simon Casson, co-founder of The Posh Club, explains: “It’s somewhere to get your posh frock out of the wardrobe for. We always have different performances – drag, opera, ballet or circus.
“We put on short shows, with food, drink and dancing in between. Some of it’ll be a bit outrageous, some of it’ll just be interesting, and some of it’ll just be kind of good times.
“We don’t patronise people – we’re more daring than that. It’s like a nightclub in the daytime!”
Wendy, Sandra, Anita and Tony have all become firm friends since meeting at The Posh Club six years ago. They’re sat on the ‘naughty table’ where they enjoy heckling the acts.
Wendy says: “What I love about this place is you might come by yourself and the next time you come you are not by yourself. Wednesday is ‘Posh Club Day’ – even when it’s not on, we always meet up.”
Tony adds: “The first time I came here, I sat with these ladies. Now they say they’re my harem! The Posh Club is a lovely place with amazing people. I come here to have a good time.”
Watch a video of The Posh Club in Hackney
The Posh Club has been in Hackney since 2014 and dubs itself a ‘glamorous performance and social club for older people’.
The volunteers who help run it are mostly from the local LGBTQIA+ community, with club runners Duckie curating each three-and-half hour event.
Host Azara warmly greets every guest by name. She says: “The Posh Club is part of my life. They are my family. I feel like this enriches and lengthens their lives. I’ve never experienced so much joy as I do here – all the endorphins. This is community!”
She introduces the next act, cabaret and circus performer Danny Ash, to the delight of the audience: “You lot seem very lubricated here! It’s about to get hot, it’s about to get skimpy. I want you to be shocked by what’s about to happen!”
Danny does not fail to deliver: dressed as a car mechanic in overalls and carrying a tyre, he does a fantastic strip routine.
The ladies in the audience whoop and fan themselves, while getting their phones out to film the show.
Darren, who has been volunteering at The Posh Club for five years, says: “The guests keep me coming back. I love this inclusive church and I love Hackney. The Posh Club is a loneliness project, which has created a community that brings people together.”
Anita, 81, travels to Hackney from Camberwell every month to come here. She says: “I come to dance without having to worry about the younger generation. We get put in boxes to behave a certain way as we get older.
“But boredom is a killer and these spaces are so important. People age differently – me and my mates go out – we go on adventures!”
Sandra agrees. She adds: “A lot of people who come here are in the house for the rest of the time. For some people it’s the only day out they have.
“This should be on the National Health Service! We’d have less people in hospital because you’re shaking your hips, less people with back problems because you are exercising.
“Let’s face it, there’s no better exercise than dance. It’s so important to keep these spaces open – this is freedom!”
The Posh Club costs £10 and takes place on the last Wednesday of every month.